Cotton Comes to Harlem

One of my favorite authors, well worth the read, and will hook you for the entire series.

I've not finished the book yet because life got in the way, but it is a fun read with a crazy cast of characters. As a published author I'm super critical of other's works, this one? I would highly recommend if you want a view into the underbelly of Harlem back in the 60s. A great read.

This top notch piece of hardboiled fiction is set in Harlem in the 1960s and features Himes' favorite protagonists, "Coffin Ed" Johnson and "Gravedigger" Jones. Coffin Ed and Gravedigger are tough, driven, black cops trying to work a case in which a con man named "Reverend" Deke O'Malley,who had been conning desperate Harlem residents by selling them spots in a phony baloney "back to Africa" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back-to-Africa_movement ) settlement.O'Malley collected 84 large at a big rally he held for his swindle, but before he could take the money and blow town several other heavily armed men crashed his party and ran off with the cash. In the course of their daring escape/high speed shootout a bale of cotton, of all things, falls out of their truck. Gravedigger and Coffin Ed spend the rest of the book hunting the men, the cotton they dropped (which has somehow disappeared in Harlem), and Deke O'Malley himself.I read this book because Walter Moseley wrote a scene in Little Green in which some of *his* characters discuss Himes' significance as a crime writer. The book certainly did not disappoint.CCTH is, first and foremost, a lovely piece of hardboiled fiction. Although the characters, white and black, are aware of the kind of world they're living in, it definitely is not social commentary disguised as crime fiction. Himes also doesn't shy away from social issues. I mean, the plot of the book, after all, is that some hardworking black people who are so fed up with their hopeless lives that they think moving to Africa and raising goats is preferable to one more day in NYC, give their money to a black con man who is then himself robbed by a number of heavily armed white dudes.Himes (who got his start as a writer while doing time for jewel theft) was also obviously a sharp social observer. Issues the book does touch on (deftly, precisely) include: Institutional racism (black cops with a white boss who likes them but has white bosses of his own), light skinned vs dark skinned black characters and their varying levels of status and privilege/North vs South issues/the very notion of King Cotton itself/Southern antebellum nostalgia.Himes has a fine, sharp, lapidary writing style and the book gets very weird before you even realize just how odd things are getting. Similarly, the way the book *does* comment on society is subtle and seamless. In my case, it didn't really hit me until I had put the book down to go use the bathroom and then as I was absorbing what I had just read I thought "Ah. Christ. That *is* messed up."

I wondered if the book could be as wonderful as the movie. Often, it's the other way 'round, but in this case, the movie featured an unforgettable and hilariously heart-warming, if not gut-busting cameo appearance by Redd Foxx as "Uncle Bud". There was also that fabulous Galt McDermot sound track (buy it!), and the whole existential bit of being one of the first -- and best -- flicks of its genre.So, after hearing the soundtrack online recently; purchasing it; and then ordering the video from the public library, I wondered, "will the book, by Chester Himes (a Clevelander, by the way) be equally nifty? Will it be worth reading in its own right?"It certainly is!Chester Himes is an accomplished and talented writer who developed his authentic style and abilities by a means every bit as ingenious as Hunter Thompson's retyping of Hemingway's "All Quiet On The Western Front;" or Kerouac's sticking together a 120 foot tracing paper scroll upon which to type his stream-of-consciousness style novel, "On The Road."In Chester Himes' case, while serving time for armed robbery, he started writing for publication as a way to earn respect from the guards and avoid violence. It not only worked, but it helped Himes develop into an authentic, fascinating, and very readable author who's style is of a type you'll rarely find among people with advanced degrees or gigs as critics on the staffs of notable literary publications."Cotton Comes to Harlem" offers a spirited, spunky, and gamey look at life in Harlem in the 60s, tying together a plot filled with realistically-depicted Harlemites from all walks of life, including the two protagonist black detectives, Coffin Ed and Grave Digger. Read a Himes bio or two online if you must; and whether or not you've seen and enjoyed the 1970 movie, you'll probably relish this book.

Great book! I love what one of Walter Mosley's characters says about this book (and Chester Himes in general) in his latest novel, Little Green. "I think that Himes is equal to [Ralph] Ellison," Jackson opined. "You compare Cotton to Invisible Man?" "....I like Ralph's book, but I think Chester get down to where the sh** stinks. Ellison made a window that the white man could look inta, but it's Chester made a door so we had a way out the burnin' house."The above kind of stuff is why I keep reading both Chester Himes and Walter Mosley. I appreciate great writers who force us to rethink the canon of "great literature" so we can include more of the popular writers. Yes, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is a great novel. It's also the book that is cited the MOST in the high school Advanced Placement English Literature test. Chester Himes may not ever appear on that type of test, but more people should be reading his work. The same comparison could be made between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Raymond Chandler. Everyone reads The Great Gatsby in school, but a case could be made for The Long Goodbye as a better "great American novel."

Moved quickly, grew up in this area of NY and he painted a picture of the streets bars etc, love the 2 characters

I'm only going to repeat my review of 'A Rage in Harlem' by the same Author, though i would say that i preferred this book as the crazy irreverent cops Gravedigger and Coffin feature more in this book. The rest of this review is as my review of 'A Rage in Harlem'.Having got a bit fed up with some of the modern crime novels and their lonely, broken up, alcoholic, protagonists going home night after night to an empty pad and opening a bottle and listening to some jazz or other such music,while thinking about their personal life falling apart due to the job or their problems (physical or psychological), or trying to patch up a long finished relationship while trying to solve a crime with a mysterious villain who leaves taunting clues, I decided to try some older writings. I enjoyed Raymond Chandler and then found by accident Chester Himes. Never heard of him before. I bought A Rage in Harlem and Cotton Comes to Harlem. Written and set in 50's black Harlem, I had to look up the meaning of some of the slang words but easy to do on kindle. I love the maverick black cops, Gravedigger and Coffin, introduced in this book but more prominent in 'Cotton', they are both frightening and comical. Himes' descriptions of his characters and scenes are brilliantly done and easy to visualize. A breath of fresh (old) air. Go on - give him a go.

I read these books about 20 years ago and they still stand the test of time. Written in the 50s they are absolutely superb. They are so descriptive. I just want to go to Harlem to see what is is like now. I love the characters of Grave Digger Jones Read it for yourself and enjoy. Also worth checking out Chester Himes background. Another story there. Very sad.

One of three in the series which are all good to read . They all give the feeling of big city life in Americaand are violent and black .

This book is full of violence, great to Read I could hardly put down

Enjoyable read with credible scenarios. Gives a feel of civil rights America.